DISASTER: This AMC Show's Ratings Are, Literally, Zero

The fourth episode of AMC's reality TV show, The
Pitch, aired last night and it could be one of the last.

The show, which AMC hoped would capitalize on the success of
Mad Men, pits two ad agencies against each other for a
real account. So far, Subway, Waste Management and Clockwork Home
Services have been the "prize in each show." One firm wins the
account; the other is left, often in tears, trying to
explain why it lost.

From the beginning there were problems. Remember
CBS' Jingles? Probably not. It never made it to air
because traditionally, advertising shows
fail. We already
profiled the laundry list of major shops who said no to
AMC.

Then came the ratings.

According to Nielsen, The
Pitch earned a 0.20 in the adult 18-49 category in its
debut—fewer than 20% of Mad Men's audience
stayed up to watch AMC's reality show.

But things got worse.

Once The Pitch moved to its Monday night slot,
the ratings tanked. The April 30 episode attracted 45,000 adults
according to Nielsen earning a 0.0 and finishing 30th on
Nielsen's cable ratings, besting only a rerun of episode one,
which came in 31st. The May 7 episode also earned a 0.0, this
time with 59,000 adults tuning in
according to Nielsen.

AMC then moved the show back to Sundays, following Mad
Men again. Last night's episode focused on an account for
Popchips, most recently in the news for its racist
ad featuring Ashton Kutcher. (The Popchips episode was filmed
before the controversy, as such, it plays no part in the
episode.)

Earlier today, Kovel/Fuller released a
statement confirming it will appear on a fifth episode, for May
20, against The Ad Store, which already lost an account with
Waste Management to SK+G in episode two.

Eight episodes were originally ordered, although AMC has not said
which clients are on any of the final three episodes—perhaps it's
a sign of its premature end.